The Importance of Pancakes
by MagPie003
Summary: This is just a fluffy series of one shots involving Nathan's favorite food.  N/A undertones will be featured for those of us who can't wait for season 3.
1. Comfort Food

The digging was done in silence. Two men often at opposing sides stood shoulder to shoulder to create a resting place for a man they'd known their entire life and not at all. After everything that had happened in the last 48 hours, the physical labor provided a welcomed release. Duke stepped back near the end so that Nathan could place the last shovel full of dirt and smooth out the plot himself. Then, Nathan leaned on his shovel and stared at the recently disturbed ground. Duke returned his shovel to the truck and sat on the bumper. The small amount of extra space gave Nathan a little privacy, but, he could still keep an eye on him. As much as Nathan may want to be completely alone right now, Duke didn't feel like he could leave just yet. Eventually, Nathan joined him on the bumper. His shoulders were slumped with exhaustion.

"I'm sorry, Nathan."

"So am I." Nathan sighed, not meeting the other man's eyes.

Duke nodded and pretended to look out at the scene before them while watching Nathan out of the corner of his eye. Nathan's eyes were a million miles away, face blank, and his mouth in a thin hard line. It wasn't hard to remember where and when he'd seen him look this way before. Nathan had worn the same look the entire time Reverend Driscoll recited prayers over his mother's casket. There were so many people there. It seemed as if the entire town had come out to say good bye to the dear lady. Tears didn't come until everything was over and people were heading back to their cars. There was no actual sound coming from him; just tears. They fell, unnoticed until Hannah offered him a tissue. The confusion on his face would've been funny under other circumstances. Duke didn't understand fully at the time why that was the moment some of the grownups started crying again. He did now.

Coming back to the present, he saw that the silence had worn Nathan down. Just like the little boy from all those years ago, he didn't notice the warm tears tracking down his face. Always prepared, Duke reached into his shirt pocket and offered Nathan some tissues. Confusion flickered across Nathan's face before it completely crumbled. Duke was taken by surprise as the normally stoic man next to him buried his face in his hands and sobbed.

"Okay…okay." Duke soothed, patting his back. While he knew that Nathan couldn't feel it, he couldn't think of anything else to do. Next to Nathan dying, this was the scariest thing he'd seen today.

"This wasn't supposed to happen." Nathan gulped, trying to pull himself back together. "I can't even put him next to mom."

"I know." He replied, keeping his hand on his back until Nathan finished.

"Sorry." Nathan apologized after a minute, rubbing at his eyes with his knuckles.

"It would be more worrying if you weren't this upset," Duke assured him, offering the tissues again. "Hey, you want me to call Audrey for you?"

"She's a little busy right now with her own problems." He declined, referring to the double that had just come into town.

Well, there went his plan of handing over Nathan to someone who could offer the man some actual comfort. Audrey would've known what to do. Duke felt helpless. This really wasn't his area of expertise. Consoling beautiful women? That was one thing. The problem in front of him was a completely different matter. Asking Nathan what he could do would be of no use. He would just say that he wanted to be alone. Duke knew that wasn't the answer. As awkward as the situation was, he just couldn't take the easy way out. An idea finally came to him as his stomach reminded him that it was well past dinner time.

"When was the last time you ate something?"

"Huh? Probably yesterday afternoon." Nathan answered, surprised. He'd lost all appetite the minute Audrey came into the office with the news about Hansen not being able to feel anything. Everything that happened afterwards certainly didn't inspire it to return.

"I thought as much. We need to get some food into you. How's about some pancakes?" Duke offered. Surely, some of Nathan's favorite comfort food would be calming.

"I don't think I can handle the diner right now." He replied, making a face. Word of the Chief's demise had to have gotten out by now. The rumor mill would've been greased by the Teagues even before the article was sent to print. He didn't need the pitying glances and whispers that would erupt all over the diner the moment he walked in.

"We're not going there," Duke assured him, "you're going to come back to my place. Believe it or not, I can make pancakes."

"You're serious?"

"Hey, no one will come looking for you there. You can brood in typical Nathan fashion while I whip them up. I also have plenty of Jack if you prefer to drown your sorrows."

"I brood?" Nathan asked, cracking a small smile. Duke just shoot his head.

"Come on before I change my mind."

Nathan would never admit it, but, Duke's recipe was far superior to the one used at the diner.


	2. Pancake Mix

"Don't be silly, Parker. You don't have to cook for me."

"Nathan, you just spent the last three hours putting my shelves together." Audrey protested, gesturing to her new bookcases. "The least I can do is fix you some dinner."

"Okay," he relented. It was better to not argue with her once she got an idea into her head. "What did you have in mind?"

"I picked this up especially for when you'd visit." She answered, producing a box pancake mix from her cupboard.

"Sounds fine to me." Nathan chuckled. Pancake mixes weren't his method of choice. Still, it warmed him to think that Audrey anticipated him visiting often enough to obtain the supplies for his favorite food. He was fairly certain that she hadn't even owned a griddle, or mixing bowls, before moving.

"If you set up the DVD player I'll add these." Audrey bribed, fishing a bag of chocolate chips out of the same cupboard.

"Ugh, way too sweet, " he declined, wrinkling his nose in distaste. "But I will set up the player for you."

"Thanks." She replied with a grateful smile before busying herself with the mixing bowl.

Setting up her "new" DVD player and TV took a matter of minutes. He had already been familiar with the set because he'd retrieved it for her from the Chief's house when she told him she was moving to a more permanent place than the bed and breakfast. It was the closest he'd come to cleaning out his father's house. Garland had used the DVD player rarely. Whenever he did, Nathan had to remind him how the simple machine worked. The phone call from his father would eventually lead to a visit. An exasperated Nathan would again show him how to put in a movie. Then, he'd be persuaded to stay with the promise of take out. Or, if the Chief was in a rare good mood, pancakes. The two men would flop down into recliners to eat and watch whatever western had started the whole cycle to begin with.

Nathan would give anything to take one of those annoying phone calls again.

A "splat" and a muffled curse brought his attention back to the kitchen. Audrey had flipped a pancake too soon and a little too hard from the sound of things. Vision confirmed the sounds as just that when he shifted his position to look at her. She was dabbing the spattered batter off her shirt while furiously trying to salvage the mess on the griddle. It was painfully obvious that she'd never made pancakes before. That made the purchase of the mix all the more touching to him. Audrey glanced over to see him watching her with look that was a mixture of amusement and affection.

"Something funny?" She asked. Her face felt hot, but, she wasn't entirely sure why.

"I'm just not used to seeing you act all domestic." He replied with a shrug and half a smile.

"It looks so much easier on TV." She huffed, scraping the failed first attempt from the griddle.

"Try waiting until you see bubbles at the edges before flipping." Nathan suggested, rising to join her at the stove. "Making them smaller will also make them easier to flip."

"Good thing that I have an expert around." Audrey teased as she tried out his advice on the next batch.

"You'll get the feel for it soon enough." He promised.

"Nathan Wuornros, pancake whisperer." Audrey quipped, successfully flipping them over.

Nathan smiled again as she moved the finished pancakes to a plate and spooned out more batter. He noted that the next batch contained a dose of chocolate chips. Apparently, Audrey's considerable sweet tooth knew few boundaries. He stored the information away for future use. Noting things that pleased her had become a habit. While he didn't remember when the practice had started, seeing her smile up at him again definitely gave him a "why"'

He'd do anything to keep her smiling at him like that...


	3. Most Important Meal of the Day

"Ah, Audrey! Just the person I wanted to see." Greeted Duke as his tenant came down the steps.

"Morning, Duke. You want your rent check, right?" She asked tiredly.

"Yes, but, that's not why I wanted to see you. You can give that to me after we're done." He replied, putting his arm around her shoulders and guiding her into the Gull.

"Done with what?" She asked, taking a seat on one of the bar stools.

"Well, yesterday, I made waffles for Brody," he explained as he went behind the bar to pour her a coffee. "If I understood Nathan correctly, I made him waffles several times."

"Yes, you did." Audrey said tensely. She really didn't want to go over this again. Sensing her unease, he smiled reassuringly and handed her a filled mug. Audrey relaxed at the smile and took a sip, recognizing that Duke knew better than to push her.

"However," he continued, "I didn't get to enjoy your lovely company. In fact, I bet you dashed out each time without anything in your stomach. Just like this morning and most mornings."

"You were more than okay with having Chris to yourself." She reminded him. Audrey hoped the embarrassing memory would distract him from launching into another lecture on slowing down and taking better care of herself. The shift in topic was welcome, but, would have little effect given how well her last day off went.

"Oh, we'll have a little chat about not telling me about that later," he warned, voice stern, but, still smiling. "In the meantime, young lady, you're not escaping out there again without the most important meal of the day."

"You're making me waffles?" She asked, incredulous.

"Nope, pancakes." He corrected, setting out utensils.

"Not that I mind, but, why the change up?"

"Because he figured your boss wouldn't mind you being a little late to work if he was late for the same reason." A voice explained behind her. Audrey turned to see Nathan coming through the door to join them. He produced a bag of chocolate chips from his jacket pocket which he handed to Duke in exchange for his own mug of coffee.

"That and these little guys hold up better on the griddle than they do in the iron." Duke agreed, heading back to the kitchen.

"You helped plan this?" She asked after Duke had left.

"It was all his idea," Nathan answered, "However, I did suggest the chips when he called me. How's the coffee temp?"

"It's cool enough to drink. You do realize he's going to put them into your pancakes too, right?"

"I'll live." He chuckled dryly.

Audrey found herself smiling. It surprised her. After yesterday, she didn't think she'd be able to smile again for a long time. Then again, she also didn't expect Duke to make her breakfast. Or, Nathan to agree to join in on the plan. Leave it to men to think that an excessive dose of sugar and carbs was the best way to start a morning. Still, the kind gesture meant a lot to her. In all of her "memories," she couldn't recall a time in her adult life where people cared about her like this.

"You're going to be okay, Audrey." Nathan said gently after a moment. It was a statement, not a question. For Nathan, it was a true as the fact that it was a Wednesday morning. Or, that Audrey Parker could never fail him.

"Thank you." She replied quietly. On impulse, she reached over to give his hand a squeeze. The wonderment on his face made her smile again as he squeezed back. For reasons she wouldn't understand until much later, that look meant more to her than the intimacy she had recently shared with Chris. Yesterday, for a few terrifying moments, that connection had been lost. Nathan had been lost. Audrey was never going to take that connection for granted ever again.

They broke contact as Duke came out with a considerable stack of chocolate chip pancakes. Thankfully, he was too focused on his load to notice the movement. Or, miraculously, that was the moment that Duke Crocker decided to try out being discreet.

Someday, he'd admit to Audrey it was the latter.

"Now, seriously," he began as he filled Audrey's plate, "would it have really been so hard for one of you to warn me about Brody's little talent?"


	4. Staking a Claim

They sat there watching the black robed procession of men and boys enter the ocean. The accompanying women comforted each other with the familiarity that grew from a shared heartache. Audrey's eyes flickered back and forth from the women to the man sitting next to her. This case had given them more questions than answers. They were both emotionally exhausted.

"Why didn't he tell me?" He asked softly. "Why didn't he at least tell you?"

"I wish I knew." Audrey replied. The far away gaze on Nathan's face was lonely, lost, and heartbreaking. Slowly, she linked her arm into his, and rested her head on his shoulder. His breath hitched slightly at the contact and his body stiffened. Then, he relaxed, rested his head on top of hers, and luxuriated in her comforting touch. The only touch he knew.

"I want to be angry with him. But, now…" He broke off with a sigh. Audrey nodded in understanding. They remained there, leaning against each other in mutual support, until the last man entered the ocean.

"Well, I know it won't get us any answers, but, I can think of something we can grab on the way home that might cheer you up a little." Audrey offered with a sly smile.

"Pancakes?" Nathan asked hopefully.

"Yes, pancakes," she confirmed, "come on, I'm getting cold."

As they rose to leave, another figure was spotted on the shore. Duke was walking along, head down, rubbing his neck as if he literally felt the weight of the world on his back. Nathan was surprised to feel compassion stirring for him. Here was another man who had more questions than answers. Another man with a father whose only legacy was a burden too heavy to bear. Nathan realized that, between him and Duke, he was the lucky one. Thanks to Audrey, he had a partner to share the load. Duke may have been married, but, it was pretty clear that he walked alone.

"Audrey, I can't believe I'm saying this, but, would you go see if Duke would like to join us?"

"Okay," she laughed, surprised. "Why me?"

"Because he only listens to you_._" Nathan explained_. _"Go on, I'll start up the truck."

Audrey shook her head, smiled, and strode down to the shoreline. Nathan watched her fondly as she tried to halt Duke's wandering. While he couldn't hear the conversation, the look on Duke's face at her apparent offer was quite entertaining. After some exasperated gesturing from Audrey and a good smack on the arm, the other man laughed and gave his assent. He must have said something smart immediately afterwards because Audrey smacked him again before taking his arm and pulling him up towards the way she came.

While the interaction made his smile, Nathan also felt a twinge of jealousy seeing Audrey take the arm of another man. Shaking it off, he started for the car. It was ridiculous to be possessive of her when she was only a friend. A friend who was seeing someone. Absolutely ridiculous.

That didn't keep him from making sure he sat next to Audrey later at the diner. It also didn't keep him from draping his arm territorially across the back of the booth. She didn't notice, but, the gesture wasn't meant for her. Duke just smiled and did his best to practice his newfound habit of discretion.

It was about time Nathan staked a claim.


	5. After the Rescue

"I don't think it's all that fair." She said, leaning in the kitchen doorway.

"What's not fair?" Nathan asked, turning off the griddle.

"I was the one who was supposed to cook for _you._" Audrey reminded him with a small smile.

"One, this is breakfast, not dinner." He countered, setting two stacks of pancakes onto the table. "Two, I'm the one with both arms working."

"Good points." She agreed, staring down at her sling. It still all seemed like a terrible dream. If Nathan and Duke hadn't found her when they had-

"I'll let you make it up to me later." Nathan said, interrupting her thoughts by taking hold of her good hand. "Until then, I'm in charge of the cooking and anything else that involves two hands."

"Okay, but, you're going to get tired of taking care of me." She warned as he guided her to the table.

"Not a chance." He promised, kissing her temple and taking the chair next to hers. Audrey blushed and smiled again as she cut into her pancakes with her fork. Nearly losing her had been the catalyst to make Nathan start initiating contact. Now, he touched her almost every chance he could get.

It almost made the whole ordeal worth it.

"So, what's the plan for today?"

"Well," Nathan began between forkfuls, "first, we're heading to your apartment to pick up some more clothes, and, anything else you might need. We're also heading to the station to pick up some files that I can work on from here. Other than that-"

"Wait, what?"

"While you do look great in my shirt, I think you'll probably want some of your own clothes." He explained flatly with a smirk. "Besides, we definitely wear different pants sizes."

"That's not what I meant!" Audrey replied, glaring at his dodge. "Why are you working from home?"

"You're on leave." He answered with a shrug as if he was explaining something that should be obvious.

"And?" She pressed, fighting the urge to flick syrup at him for resorting to sarcasm and short answers instead of a real explanation.

"You're not going to be at the office. I would rather work where you are."

"Nathan, that's really sweet," Audrey said, "but I don't need to stay here and you don't have to-"

"Those are going to get cold, you know." Nathan admonished, tapping at her plate with a pointed look. She took the hint and began to eat. Satisfied, he went back to focusing on the remains of his own stack.

"How else am I going to be able to take care of all the stuff that involves two hands if you and I aren't in the same place?" He asked after she'd taken a few bites. Audrey smiled and shook her head.

"You're not going to let me out of your sight are you?"

"Not if I can help it." He confirmed with one of those half smiles she'd come to adore.

"Do I have a say in this?" Audrey laughed.

"Nope."

At any other time, and with anyone else, she'd be indignant about being fussed over. This was different. Nathan's stubborn determination to take care of her was sweet, reassuring, and what she needed. His half smile turned into a full one as she leaned over to kiss him. It was softer than the one they'd first shared, but, still full of promises. He acknowledged those promises by deepening the kiss before slowly pulling away.

"All right, then." Nathan said, blushing a bit. She smiled and added more syrup to her plate.

"Can I at least help with the files?"

"Audrey, I can only imagine the corrections I'd need to make. Your reporting style is creative enough as it is _without_ painkillers being involved."

It was at that point that she flicked the syrup off her fork onto his face.


	6. Olive Branch

"Dwight will be there."

"I should still come in." Nathan protested, sipping his coffee from the table.

"No way," she argued from the kitchen. "This is your Saturday off. Besides, I'm only scheduled for half a day and I'm even leaving early from that for physical therapy."

Nathan sighed and stared at the mug in his hands. It was hard to think of her being on the job without him there to protect her. She'd only returned to active duty a few weeks ago. He knew that his fears were foolish. Audrey was the most capable person he'd ever worked with. If she knew how many of his thoughts tended towards how to keep her safe, she'd be angry. Independence should have been her middle name. Hence her moving back into her apartment once his "I'm the only one with two working arms" reasoning had been resolved. Having her own space grounded her. While it wasn't how he'd prefer to set up their living arrangements, he understood.

At least it didn't prevent them from spending every night together.

She sensed his unease as she came over to the table with their breakfast. Cupping his chin gently, she drew his eyes to meet hers. Beautiful grey-blue eyes lit up at the contact, making her smile. Audrey was certain she'd never get tired of his reaction to her. It was one of the many things about Nathan that made her fall in love with him, all over again, every day.

"I'll be fine." She told him, moving her hand to stroke his face.

"I know." Nathan agreed, nuzzling into her hand.

"Then relax already!" She ordered, tapping his cheek playfully.

"Why don't you help me with that?" He teased with a smirk. Before she could respond, arms snaked around her waist. A very un-Audrey like squeak came from her as he pulled her into his lap. Any further protest was silenced by a deep kiss.

"Better?" Audrey giggled when they finally broke away for air.

"Much." He replied, kissing her again. A knock on the door made him groan. "Of all the times for Dwight to be early!"

Audrey smiled as she wriggled out of his grasp to answer the door. While he knew he was grinning like an idiot, he didn't care. The look on her face as she got away promised that they would pick things up in the same spot later that afternoon. Unfortunately, the grin dropped from his face in a snap at the sound of the voice in the doorway.

"Okay, Audrey, where is this leak you ...oh." Duke's question froze mid sentence when he saw that Audrey wasn't alone. "Sorry, I can come back later."

"No, you're staying." Audrey responded firmly, taking him by the elbow and guiding him to the table. "Sit down."

"Aud-"

"Did it sound like a suggestion?" She asked in a tone that left no space for an argument. Duke glared but took the chair across from Nathan without further protest.

"Okay, what is going on here?" Nathan growled. Before he could get up, Audrey gave him a look that froze him in place.

"Now that I have your attention," she began, "I think it's time that you two worked a few things out."

"There's nothing to-" Duke started to protest before she turned her glare back to him. His mouth shut with a snap.

"Now, as I was saying, I'm sick and tired of you two circling each other like two cats down at the wharf. Whatever happened that night-which you still won't tell me about-isn't going to be resolved with glares, snarls, and silence."

"Why do we need to resolve it?" Asked Nathan in a hard tone. He was surprised to see Duke's shoulders slump just a bit as if the question had hurt him. It was even more surprising to feel the same pain inside. Audrey noted the reactions and took it as a hopeful sign.

"Because I need you, both of you, if we are ever going to fix things around here." She explained as calmly as possible. "I can't even think of solving the Troubles if my two go-to guys can't even be in the same room together. Like it or not, we need to work together if we're going to survive."

Her phone buzzed signaling a text. A quick look told her that Dwight was downstairs waiting for her. She walked over to Nathan's side of the table and cupped his face again. The love he saw in her eyes, and the sheer perfection of her touch, softened his angry frown.

"You can be as angry with me as you want later." She promised, kissing him softly on the lips. As she passed by Duke on the way to the door, Audrey paused long enough to kiss him on the cheek. "That goes for you as well."

"Dwight and I are going to see if he can "fix" the damage from the homecoming float incident. Work it out, or, I'm sending him to "fix" you two next." She called as she stepped out. As the door closed, Duke shook his head feeling a mixture of exasperation, and, if he was totally honest with himself, pride.

"Well, this is…awkward." He ventured, breaking the silence first.

"You're telling me?" Nathan grumbled, adding a few pancakes to his plate.

After a brief silent conversation was exchanged across the table. Deep down, both men knew the other one loved Audrey: One like a cherished sister and the other like she was the sun, moon, and stars combined. Both also knew that they'd do anything for her; even if it meant swallowing a huge chunk of pride. Finally, Nathan passed the pancakes over to Duke with a resigned sigh. Duke took it as the olive branch it was and added some of the stack to the plate in front of him.

"Do you think she meant it about having Dwight fix us?" He asked, passing over the syrup.

"I think it's probably better that we never find out."

Right." Duke agreed with a nod. "You know, the funny thing is, I'm not even mad at her. You?"

"Nope."

"Just how long has she had us wrapped around her fingers?" Duke mused scratching at his chin. Nathan considered the question a moment. Another silent understanding was exchanged between the two. They smiled in agreement and continued the meal in comfortable silence. The answer had come to both of them at the same time.

Since day one.


End file.
